As a Diversity and Inclusion professional, I feel strongly about the work I do, which requires taking risks, being creative and finding and advocating for less traditional and more bold solutions. I do all of this because the corporate playing field is not equal. In the U.S., this inequitable field has been born out of a history steeped in limited access to opportunities for the minority populations. While decades have passed since desegregation, our inner cities, in which our minority populations are concentrated, are still plagued by police brutality, subpar school systems and a slew of other inequities. I speak to all of this, for understanding the history of race relations in the U.S. is critical to understanding the importance and the power of the work that can, must and has yet to be done well in the field of Diversity and Inclusion.

My posts to date have covered the myriad of things that are going wrong in the diversity recruiting space, from lack of metrics to lack of dedicated headcount and financial resources to lack of leadership support and commitment. All of these factors impact successful diversity recruiting results. To this point, so does the understanding of race relations in the U.S. The movie Straight Outta Compton clearly speaks to a piece of this history. As I watched the brilliance of this movie unfold before me, I thought about the deep contrast to my childhood and the opportunities afforded to me. I also thought back to the few Black students who had to take an hour and a half bus ride to my suburban high school every day. When I was young, I did not understand why they did not attend school in their own neighborhoods. I did not understand why they had to get up every day at 4:30 AM and return home long after sunset, just so they could get a decent education. I was good friends with many of these students, went over their houses, met their families and developed deep and genuine relationships with them. I knew we were different, but yet we shared commonalities. As a red-headed dancer who loved reading and writing, I did not fit in at a sporty high school, which was filled with many of the same students who had teased and called me names like “Fireball” since elementary school. At the end of the day, I, like my friends, just wanted to be accepted for who we were. 

N.W.A. pushed this desire to our radios and brought their neighborhood realities to every person across America. Their lyrics were controversial, but speaking the truth often is. It makes sense then that Straight Outta Compton is a controversial movie. In an article in the Huffington Post by Sikivu Hutchinson called “Straight Outta Rape Culture,” she turns the focus of her review to the movie’s glorification of a misogynistic and female violent culture. While this may in fact be true, as the character of Ice Cube pointed out in the movie, their lyrics reported what they saw in their neighborhoods. So, is to them to blame or the neighborhoods, which were and still are segregated and filled with crime and violence? I am not supporting a culture in which people do not take responsibility for their actions. I am, however, raising the point that people are a by-product of their environments. N.W.A. was speaking to the environment that they knew and in which they grew up. While many may not want to admit that these conditions existed, and still exist today, they do and they greatly impact who is afforded opportunities. 

This is why the work of Diversity and Inclusion is critical and why it must be done thoughtfully, strategically, boldly and passionately. There are wrongs to be righted. This work is not about “lowering” the bar for quality talent. It is about understanding and addressing the fact that this bar may not be equitable. It is about evolving organizational cultures that have primarily included only certain types of people. This is why both diversity AND inclusion are key complementary focal points of this function. Diversity, however, is the more challenging piece of this work, as successful implementation requires a shift in organizational culture to accommodate and incorporate those from different backgrounds, so as to retain, engage and develop them. It also requires metrics, headcount, focus and patience to see results. 

This work is by no means easy or straightforward. It is a big jigsaw puzzle with lots of different pieces that do not necessarily fit together perfectly. This lack of clarity is why I love this work. I do it because it is challenging. I do it because I want to make a difference in the world in which I work. I do it because I want to help even the playing field. I do it because I want employees to feel valued and supported for their unique and special contributions. I also do this work for my husband, who has been thrown down on the concrete by the L.A. police solely because of his skin color, and for my former students in inner-city Boston, who were labeled as “hopeless” at age 14. I do it for the thousands of people like myself who are different from the norm. This is why I do this work. This is why I continue to fight for others. 

This is not work that can be done alone in a silo. This is the work of many and requires collaboration and solutions, such as:

• Allowing recruiters the additional time needed to find and build diverse talent pipelines
• Establishing and committing to aspirational hiring goals and metrics
• Making people accountable by linking compensation and/or bonuses to results
• Investing money and time in the education of inner-city youth.

While these solutions seem simple, they are intricately complex. This statement alone is ever the more reason to begin this work now.

So, join me in being part of the long-term solution. Speak up, be bold and push back, for equality is worth fighting for.

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Becky Bearse-Esqueda is a Sr. Consultant for Jennifer Brown Consulting, a strategic Diversity and Inclusion consulting group. Her approach has been shaped by 20 years of cross-industry experience across the private and public sectors. Follow Becky on Twitter@beBEconsulting.